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phillipjohnson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Violence and Domestic abuse
slime_retro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Gore
kleinekita's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism and Forced institutionalization
danielle42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
savvy999's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, and Murder
cviii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Child death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Vomit, Blood, Murder, Body horror, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Homophobia
julianship's review against another edition
The first section is interesting, and Gage Chandler's ominous omniscience is an engaging way to tell a story that is partly about storytelling itself, and the ways that stories change based on who tells them. Not groundbreaking, but something I always enjoy.
But once we get to the segments on the White Witch and Derek, the characters move through the book too smoothly, slipping past each other without real emotional impact beyond violence. There's no relationship meat here, just description after description of location and brutality. Those descriptions are evocative, but they're not enough for me to stick around and see it through.
Also, this book needed to not have, inexplicably, sections in 1st, 2nd, AND 3rd person, which in the right hands could be interesting but here felt heavy-handed. Based on what I've read about the book, it seems the prose gets even more experimental later. Going off the beginning, I'm not sure that's going to be successful.
I really like Darnielle as a lyricist, and I'd like to see what he does in short story formats. But I don't think he has the stamina for longer fiction at this point - and that's fine! He's spent 30 years developing a masterful ability to bring a story to life in about 3-4 minutes. It's the 300 pages that create the issue.
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Murder, and Vomit
dustghosts's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As many reviewers have said, this is not a horror book and marketing it as such is a misstep! What it is, though, is a pretty impressive work of craft that digs its heels in as Darnielle plays with timelines, and interlocking stories, and points of view, and— and, and. Absolutely, some of these experiments are less successful than others, but thinking about the story as a work in fragments thrown into a cardboard box… Form and function are pretty beautifully combined here.
My primary critique is that there were sections in the middle that really did feel like they dragged, and the pacing was a bit meandering at times. In the end, it felt juuust a little too long, and I could see why others had trouble finishing. Still, really worth the engagement if you are a critic or an enjoyer of true crime, and maybe especially if you’re a nonfiction reader looking to sink your teeth into some fiction.
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
jillaay_h's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
eeculp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse